This invention relates generally to floral arranging aids and in particular to devices for supporting an arrangement of cut flowers, either for shipment or for display in a vase, bowl or the like.
Ideally, a single floral arranging device should be capable of receiving and securely holding plant stems of widely varying diameters, and should be capable of retaining and displaying the floral arrangement materials in a wide variety of angular and spacial relationships. In this way, the floral designer is accorded maximum creative freedom. For maximum stability of the floral arrangement, the device should preferably engage each plant stem at more than one location along the length of the plant stem. A Such a device should also be capable of maintaining the floral arrangement during shipment from a florist to a customer so that the customer need only insert the device into the mouth of a floral vase or bowl in order to display the floral arrangement. Moreover, the device should be easily removable from a vase or bowl in order to facilitate changing the water therein or for moving the arrangement to a different receptacle. The device should also be inconspicuous so as not to detract from the floral design.
Floral arrangement devices that meet some, but not all, of these criteria have been disclosed. Pullman, U.S. Pat. No. 1,260,042, disclosed a flower holder attachment for supporting cut flowers within a bowl or receptacle, which included a single, transverse support composed of wire mesh or other reticulated material secured within an annular flange, the flange being tapered for engagement with the side walls of the receptacle. Matteucci et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,452, disclosed a floral arranging aid for holding flowers in a vase. The aid comprised a single, transverse vase top cover of plastic or cardboard having a plurality of partially scored apertures that were opened by a flower stem. The apertures were arranged in rows and columns that were coded so that each aperture was located at a junction. Uhl, U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,262, disclosed a flower arranging device comprising a single, transverse arranging member within an annular rim portion. The rim portion was adapted to be juxtaposed to the outer periphery of the upper, open end of an associated vase or receptacle. A plurality of supporting members extended across the rim portion and intersected each other for defining a number of spaced gaps adapted to pass the stems of flowers or the like. By providing only a single, transverse, reticulated supporting member, each of these devices as disclosed by Pullman, Matteucci et al., and Uhl was capable of engaging plant stems at only a single point along the length of the stem, and so did not achieve the degree of stability desired for a floral arrangement or to withstand the physical rigors of shipment.
Rosenwald, U.S. Pat. No. 1,491,926, and Klingberg, U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,175, however, have each disclosed a flower support device that provides two, spaced-apart, transverse, reticulated or perforated members for receiving and holding plant stems within a floral arrangement. Although each of these devices was capable of providing the desired enhanced stability to a floral arrangement, and each permitted disposing the stems at any desired angle, no provision was made for accommodating plant stems of widely varying diameters within a single floral arrangement.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a floral arranging device that will grasp plant stems of widely varying diameters at at least two, spaced-apart locations along the lengths of the stems, and that will maintain each of the stems at any desired angle. In a first embodiment, the device comprises a first, substantially annular ring disposed about an axis Axe2x80x94A. The ring has an upper, annular margin and a lower annular margin joined by cylindrical inner and outer walls. The first embodiment further comprises three sets of parallel, spaced-apart, elastic bands. In each of the three sets of elastic bands, each band is stretched around opposite sides of the outer wall and over the upper margin and under the lower margin of the first annular ring. What distinguishes each of three sets of bands from each other, however, is their orientation with respect to axis Axe2x80x94A: the second set is rotated through a first rotation angle with respect to the first set, and the second set is rotated through a second rotation angle with respect to the second set. The first and second rotation angle are each between 25 and 65 degrees. The first annular ring preferably has a plurality of circumferentially-spaced, axially-aligned, oppositely disposed pairs of slots on the outer wall thereof, said slots being circumferentially arranged to hold the first, second and third set of bands in their respective rotational alignment with respect to one another, and wherein each band is stretched around an oppositely-disposed pair of said slots. Optionally, rubber cement is applied to each slot to secure a portion of an elastic band therein. Because of the elasticity of the bands, plant stems of widely varying diameters can be incorporated into a single floral arrangement. Moreover, each of the stems is grasped at two locationsxe2x80x94namely, between adjacent band portions stretched over the top of the ring and between adjacent band portions stretched under the bottom of the ring. Optionally, the outer wall of the ring is convexly curved from lower margin to upper margin; alternatively, it may be outwardly flared.
In a second embodiment, the device further includes a fourth set of parallel, spaced-apart, elastic bands. Each of the bands is stretched around opposite sides of the outer wall, and over the upper margin and under the lower margin of the first annular ring. The fourth set of bands is rotated about axis Axe2x80x94A through a third rotation angle with respect to the third set of bands. The third angle is preferably between 25 and 90 degrees.
In a third embodiment, an annular enclosure is added to the second embodiment. The enclosure surrounds and is coaxial with the first ring of the second embodiment. The enclosure has a circular upper lip and a circular lower lip joined by inner and outer walls. The outer wall of the enclosure has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the outer wall of the first ring. This third embodiment further includes a fifth set of parallel, spaced-apart elastic bands. Each of the bands is stretched around opposite sides of the outer wall, and over the upper lip and under the lower lip, of the enclosure. The fifth set of bands are rotated about axis Axe2x80x94A through a fourth rotation angle with respect to the fourth set of bands. The third embodiment further includes a sixth set of parallel, spaced-apart elastic bands. Each of the bands are stretched around opposite sides of the outer wall, and over the upper margin and under the lower margin, of the enclosure. The sixth set of bands is rotated about axis Axe2x80x94A through a fifth rotation angle with respect to the fifth set of bands. Preferably, the fourth and fifth rotation angles are between 25 and 90 degrees. Preferably, the upper and lower lips each have a plurality of oppositely-disposed pairs of slots, which slots are circumferentially-spaced to hold the fourth, fifth and sixth set of bands in their respective rotational relationships with respect to one another. Each band of the fourth, fifth and sixth sets is stretched around an oppositely-disposed pair of slots.
In a fourth embodiment, the device includes first, second, third and fourth annular rings axially-spaced and sequentially-aligned on a common axis Axe2x80x94A. Each annular ring has an upper, annular margin and a lower annular margin joined by cylindrical inner and outer walls. Spacer means are attached to the rings for maintaining the axial spacing between the rings. The spacer means may include a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart, axially-extended posts interposed between and attached to adjacent rings. For each of the rings, there is a first, second, third and fourth set of parallel, spaced-apart elastic bands. Each of the four sets of bands for the second and third rings are looped around each of those rings, generally in the manner previously described for the second embodimentxe2x80x94that is, for each of the second and third rings, each of the bands is stretched around opposite sides of the outer wall, over the upper margin and under the lower margin of the ring. The first and fourth rings, however, share the same four sets of bands; those bands extend over the the upper margin of the fourth ring, down opposite sides of the device and under the lower margin of the first ring. Each set of bands associated with each ring is oriented at 25 to 90 degrees of rotation about axis Axe2x80x94A with respect to the adjacent set of bands. Preferably, each of the rings has a plurality of circumferentially-spaced, oppositely-disposed pairs of slots on the outer wall thereof. The slots are circumferentially arranged to hold the first, second, third and fourth sets of bands in their respective rotational relationships with respect to one another. Each band is stretched around an oppositely-disposed pair of slots.
These differing embodiments are intended to assist a floral designer in implementing floral design principles, such as harmony, rhythm, balance, line, form and mass, in a wide variety of settings, ranging from small, hand-held bouquets to very large floral designs for banquet halls and hotel lobbies. Moreover, each of these embodiments maintains the integrity of a floral design, both in transit and in movement from container to container.